Overall impression - Phil's mild was an easy drinking session beer. The hop bitterness kept it crisp and dry. Low carbonation added to the ability to easily pound a few of these (especially on a warm summer evening). As I was finishing the beer, I kept thinking to myself that this probably represents an English bitter better than a true mild, unless he was going for a paler hopped up mild. This would make a great beer to come home to after a long days work.

Thanks for sharing Phil, well done. I am looking forward to sampling the other beers now too!

I used Lyles golden syrup for years in a Boddington's style English Bitter. I would always prime the keg with priming sugar and it had that nice dry finish, but nicely biscuity malt flavor for an edge of sweetness....loved that easy drinker and it sounds a lot like Phil's recipe. And yes - what a great refreshment after work on a Friday or any day.

My package came in from Hooper yesterday. He sent me his Pale Ale, Soma Saison, Texas Chili Stout, Not Orval, Märzen, and 2 locals from 2 breweries I had not heard of before: Hopadillo IPA from Karbach Brewing Co and Buried Hatchet Stout from Southern Star Brewing Co. Very generous package, cant wait to start trying them out tonight. Thanks again GlennPete B, the beers I'm sending you need another week of conditioning and then I should get them in the mail last week of the month after verifying that I am satisfied with them

Crystal clear though the pic may not show it. Nice head, just over 1/4" Fine bubbles constantly coming up from the bottom. No hop aroma, just a nice grainy scent (best I can do) no diacetyl or dms to me Flavor continues with malty goodness, no hop flavor to speak of, just a little bitterness to keep it even. Short bottle fill from the end of a keg shows no sediment at all. Overall, a nice bonus and I'm looking forward to the rest of his brews

Dense cream colored head that lingers and laces nicely. Color is brown, but appears as a deep red when held up to the light. The beer is crystal clear, I couldn't get pics of this but despite how dark it is details can easily be seen through it.

Aroma:

The most apparent aroma is that of the bourbon, followed closely by that oaky smell characteristic to me of wood aged beers. There isn't enough of this to overpower a roasty steel though, and there are some hops detectable as well.

Flavor:

Again, the bourbon and wood are the most prominent players here. These give way to a smooth roasty/caramel/toffee malt backbone. This toffee flavor is certainly not diacetyl, as I don't detect any slickness in the mouthfeel. The beer however is very smooth, with a firm but soft bitterness. Again there are flits of hops, but not enough to hone in on what they might be.

Remarks:

This beer is excellent. I really enjoy barrel aged beers, but more and more breweries seem to be overdoing the aging these days. This leads to beers that are overwhelmed by the barrel flavors, and these beers suffer for that. redzim has managed to keep everything balanced though, and this beer shines because of that. My wife really enjoyed this beer as well.